Benny Snell Jr. holds a permanently revered place in the history of Kentucky football; few will have had as big an impact under Mark Stoops. He helped win a Citrus Bowl, and did it playing a smashmouth style that made everyone say Snell Yeah.
As one of the most talented and beloved running backs to ever wear the Blue and White, “Snell Yeah” became a rallying cry for a program on the rise. However, Snell’s pro career never really left neutral.
In the latest hurdle of his pro career, Snell has officially
been released by the UFL’s Louisville Kings.
The UFL release makes sense
The news of the roster move was broken by WLKY sports director Kent Taylor, who reported: “Kings release Benny Snell and trade Jason Bean to DC – Chandler Rogers will QB.”
Snell’s stint in the UFL’s inaugural season for the Louisville franchise was going badly. Through the first four games of the regular season, he struggled to find rushing lanes, carrying the ball 31 times for just 72 yards. Worse, he hadn’t found the end zone and just didn’t look like the player he once was. And that’s why it made sense. Snell’s body has taken a beating, and for running backs, the shelf life is just a lot shorter.
But Snell doesn’t agree that it was time.
The Louisville Kings currently sit at a disappointing 1-3 following a road win against Houston. Next week, they travel to Frisco to take on Dallas on April 26, and they will be doing so without the Kentucky legend in the backfield.
The professional journey has been a winding one
Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019, Snell spent four seasons in the NFL.
While he carved out a role as a bruising short-yardage back and special teams contributor, he was never able to secure a feature role. Over 63 games with the Steelers, he compiled 982 rushing yards on 275 carries (3.6 average) and scored seven total touchdowns.
Not bad, and probably in line with his 4th-round selection. But a lot of people probably thought they could get a little more out of Snell.
Regardless of his struggles at the professional level, Snell’s legacy in Lexington will always be a bright spot. He rewrote the Kentucky football record books, breaking or tying 14 school records during his three-year collegiate career.
He broke Moe Williams’ record for rushing yards by a freshman with 1,091 yards in 2016, and holds the school records for points in a season (116) and rushing touchdowns in a season (19), both set during his dominant 2017 campaign.
In his final game, the historic Citrus Bowl victory over Penn State, Snell needed 107 yards to break Sonny Collins’ all-time rushing record. As usual, he went over that mark easily. Snell ended up rushing for 144 yards on the day, leading the Cats to victory. His name will likely be cemented at the top of the list with 3,873 career rushing yards and 48 career touchdowns for quite some time to come.
It’s rare with the portal that a guy will stay all 4 years in one spot, even if he is really successful.
The professional road has been bumpy, but for me and, I believe, all of you reading, Benny Snell Jr. will always be remembered as the physical force that helped change the culture of Kentucky football.
